I'm thinking of using this in my Girlfriends 300 WSM. She just wants to hunt deer for now so I'm looking for a deer bullet that can handle a bit of velocity and we can buy quite a few of she can plink a lot.

Any use would be helpful. Even if it's not in a 300 WSM.

I like that bullet in .277, .284, and .308 diameters for use on deer. It seems to be fairly tough for a non-premium and always gave good terminal performance on chest shots. It is usually accurate as well. Watch your OAL on short action rounds, because of the ogive. An OAL that works with spitzer bullets can have this bullet jammed into the lands and/or not wanting to chamber.

My buddy Jim Hughes used this bullet in a 308 to slay a pile of Alabama deer. It is tougher than the Sierra 165 btsp which I have used on another pile of deer and hogs.

Call Sierra but I think they will tell you it'll be fine at 300wsm velocity, it would be my second Sierra to consider next to the 180 Pro Hunter which will work fine on deer in a 300wsm.

Another buddy raves about the Sierra 150 Pro Hunter that he pushes to 3100fps for deer. This would be a conservative load in the 300wsm and would recoil less than than the 165 bullets at the same velocity.

Britt

a 150 game king or prohunter, loaded to about 2800, or a little less, will decisively kill any whitetail or muley at 250 -300 yds... no sweat..... john w

Magnum-I'd use that bullet in a heartbeat. It is my favorite bullet that Sierra puts out. I've used the HPBT in (6'x,25's,270's,7's,06's,300's), it is big time accurate and plenty darn tough. I've used it on chucks/yotes/lopes/deer/bruins/elk with total satisfaction!

Now as for calling Sierra and asking them for info, after my last 2 conversations with them I wouldn't ask them where the bathroom is...

Dober

LOL Mark! That reminds me of my last experience talking with Sierra.

Guys-correct me if I'm wrong here (and I probably am!) but doesn't the HP stand for Hollow Point? If so-doesn't this tear up a deer pretty bad? I'm just curious, not trying to start any kind of a fight or anything. I've always had great success with the Sierra Game King 165 gr. BTSP Federal Premium loads. It just seems like a hollow point bullet wouldn't be necessary on deer sized critters.

Gopher,

According to Sierra their hollow point hunting boat tails have tougher construction than their soft point boat tails so they actually penetrate better and tear up less critter not more.

Britt

Mark,

I guess I must agree with you that the tech people at Sierra are less consistantly helpful than in the past.

Last year I called to talk about handloads in a modern action for the 38-55. I tried to explain that I was using a modern action and wanted to load for improved performance while keeping safe, the Sierra guy was rude, condescending ,and unhelpful.
I didn't call them for a year but when I did I got a really helpful guy who understood what I was asking and helped me a lot.

The difference between me and a novice is I know when I'm dealing with an idiot and so obviously do you. But your right, the advice there is not consistantly helpful anymore.

Britt

Britt-next time we chat I'll tell you the stories, one was about the 168 SMK and the other was about the 165 HPBT. I swear my wife shoots more game yearly than those fellas do!

Dober

I load the 165 Sierra BTHP for a good friend of mine in a A-Bolt 300WSM. It runs a little over 3100 fps and he loves it. He was using the 165 BT but they were more destructive than he liked when bone was struck, bullet would also come apart. The BTHP hasn't had this problem. We shoot/hunt together on a regular basis and he's not complaining.

I used the 165 Sierra HPBT last fall in my Browning 300 WSM. I hunted in North Carolina. Took three bucks with it. One shot each. I loaded them to 3100 FPS, very accurate, but they all failed to retain the jacket. Shots were two around 100 yards and the third at 200 yards. I was very disappointed because didn't have any go thru and thru. Of the deer, two dropped on the spot, and one ran about 50 yards. (Of course you could say they worked,but again I didn't like the jackets coming apart.) One caught a shoulder, the others didn't but still came apart. I know the 300 WSM is overkill for deer, but I wanted to try it. I now load the 180 nosler pt for it. I think for long range it would be ok, but under 200 yards, I prefer my Whelen. Friend is borrowing it this fall for Wyoming Mule deer and with the nosler, it should work ok.

Wish I had a dollar for every story I have heard of Sierra's coming apart so I now use Nosler's . I have used th Gamekings in both versions HP and soft point. Iliked them both and never recover one from a deer. I used them in a 30-06 pushed to 2850 fps. I just can't see needing more velocity when hunting deer and ranges are going to be under 350 yards. I especially don't see any reason to bust a deer in the shoulder with a 165 grain bullet started at 3100 fps or to complain when you get a bit more damage than you wanted. I have so seldom not gotten exit holes on deer with any bullet designed for the task that Iwonder about the validity of the story so often told.

Rick--"DWS" (darn well said)

Dober

Ruraldoc-thanks for the info-I wasn't aware of that. I'm not set up for handloading so my experience is limited to factory loads, and the Federal Premium 165 gr. BTSP loads have grouped the tightest for me over the last few years. If I can find a factory load with that bullet and it shoots close to my other load, I'll give it a try this fall. Thanks again, GG.

One of my longest shots was with a 165 hpbt on a cross canyon blacktail buck, cranked up to 3250 fps out of a 300 Win. The shot was a little high in the shoulder and exited out the neck as the buck was quartering away feeding. I was very pleased with penetration, the buck dumped hard seeing how it was missing a couple vertabrea.

how does the Sierra HPBT Gameking compare to the Nosler 165 grain Ballistic Tip?

Jimmy,

Both are scary accurate,the nosler has the best balistic coef , and the Sierra HPBT is a tougher bullet. The Sierra BTSP and the Nosler Balistic Tip are the ones that are really close.

This may draw some flames but I think the Sierra HPBT Gameking compares favorably to the Accubond in performance. Both do a good job of balancing penetation and expansion and both will often exit the critter even at magnum velocity.

Britt

The Sierra HPBT is only offered in .277 in 140grain that I could find it would however be a 1/2 the price of the Accubond...just when I have my .270 tweeked to 130 grain ballistic tips.. They do make an 85 grain HPBT match king in .243 that is interesting as well. I guess some like the ballistic tips and some do not.

I've used the 85 gr BTHP Gameking in .243, the 160 gr. in 7 Rem Mag, and the 165gr. in 308 and 30-06.

I love em!

The 160 gr. in .284 is an awsome bullet. I killed two large body 8 points in the same year with that bullet, they were the first bucks I had taken in 3 years of waiting and just happened to be my two largest to date. I guess the experiance has left me blindly partial to the bullet.

GB

We call the 165 gr HPBT the " Flying meat grinder".. cause once they start flying, your gonna need to get out your meat grinder...

It constantly amazes me that people will use cup and core bullets at magnum speeds when Partitions are so cheap.

I love Sierra bullets for whitetails. Not much trackin' necessary most of the time. DRT. I also love Partitions but anyone that says they don't make a mess hasn't been paying attention. I've shot many critters with NP's including a dandy 6x7 Bull here in Arkansas that Partitions handled with aplomb. 100% reliable BUT they make BIG holes be it through a ham, both hams or wherever. If shot's are inside 50 yards most of the time, I would use something besides a Sierra, but anywhere past that out to as far as you can handle your business they are death on a stick. Cheaper than NBT's and shoot at least as well. Pass-thru's are common out past 150 yards. Speakin' for .270/130's and 7mm/150's.

I just don't see a need for partitions where I hunt. I have killed a lot of deer with cup and core bullets, in our club no one uses them that I know of and only one shot that was made in the last 9 years where the deer was hit reasonably well and was not recovered, we did think we found it latter (8 point) but it was too decomposed for an autopsy. The rifle in question was a 7mm rem mag, now I can also tell you a sad story about a guy shooting a small deer to pieces with a 300WSM and premium ammo, ran out of cartridges (5) and had to walk back to the car to get a pistol....no reflection on the ammunition of course. Fast forward to today and that episode convinced him that he needed to learn how to shoot.

I must add however that I am considering using a .243 some this year for late season does and may use partitions for this gun...I hear pros and cons regards this caliber.

jimmy-load that lil 243 with a 85 TSX and all you'll see if the "pros"...grins

Dober

I have to agree with Dobrenski with regards to the .243 win. I've had quite a bit of mixed success with that little cartridge. The fault of the bullet in use more than the caliber I'm pretty sure. 95 NBT's don't exit, sometimes fly apart. Sierra 100's too soft up close. I'm currently working on 85 TSX loads for several in my group. (Hopefully one common load will work well for all). EX. nice 9 point shot at 70 yards by mother in law, almost lost it in the thickets, but luckily after 2 hours of searching found it. Little entry hole, no blood. Perfect broadside shot, just not enough damage and no blood trail. Not a problem where you can see forever but on gaslines,etc you have longggg shots in 2 directions and terrible thickets and swamp on either side. Either DRT or good blood trails are essential.

7mmmaniac, I have just got to get off of this forum it costs me too much money! I could have just been dumb and happy with 100 grain Hornady's but now I have to buy Barnes 85 grain TSX bullets!!! The sad truth is that somewhere in the back of my mind I keep playing with a concern that the .243 could be marginal in some cases. I have another aquaintance that swears by it and says he does not want the bullet to exit but blow up in the deer. He uses 85 grain bullets of some type but not a barnes of course.

Here is what I think a partial list looks like In order of apparent penetration ability from least to most penetration:
95grain ballistic tip
100 grain sierra BTSP
85 grain Sierra HPBT
95 grain partition
85 grain TSX.

Does the 85 grain Sierra HPBT sit there? Where do the 100 grain Hornady interloc belong, the Swift Scirocco II?

jimmyp,

for your .243, you ought to try either, or both of the sierra 85bthp or the speer 90 spitzer... the best pair of all around bullets that i have personally tried...

the problem with me giving this type of advice???
i stop looking for answers when i find one or two that work... i do not feel compelled to explore every load combination available if the load that i've got works out...

fwiw, the sierra 85 bthp and a max load of imr4895 are a well known accuracy load... i know of several guys who use this load to test rifles for accuracy... haven't heard of many that failed to shoot this load well.....

This bullet always performed excellent for me in the past (when I reloaded)...........................547.

Many in my group either use or have used .243's quite a bit. Most kills are quick and humane. But I have experienced several shot by myself that just seemed to 'wander around' or just walk off, requiring second shots. My experiences were with 95 NBT's for the most part and Sierra SPT 100's. Just didn't seem like it did much sometimes and other times thes bang/flop. I've heard the same stories from many people. I just don't want to risk losing a game animal like that. There's enough to worry about as it is. I am trying the 85 TSX's this year. For what it is worth, most of the 'problem' shots were b/w 200 and 300 yards.

I load a 243 for my nephew and he hunts GA. 95gr Nosler Partitions have worked great for him.

I loaded up 100 of them for a friend's 30-06 and he was quite happy with them. He shot three coyotes and two whitetails with all one shot kills. They didn't seem to blow the fur of the yotes either. It's a pretty tough buller for being a hollow point. I don't used them because I just can't get beyond the performance of the Game King and Pro Hunter.

I had read somewhere that the .243 just runs out of steam past 200 yards. This seems reasonable to me, I think I am going to try both the Sierra 85 grain HPBT and the 85 grain TSX, hopefully they might shoot somewhere near the same point of impact and I can zero for both loads.

I've always 'read' that the .243 win is good for deer out to about 300 yards. I can concur. I know there's thousands of people that have a success story at that range or further but it really shook my confidence in the round after seeing it happen more than once. I guess like anything else, you must understand the limitations of the tool at hand. All else being equal, I've never experienced the same reactions with a .270 or larger.(refering to bullet diameter) But to be fair, I've never hunted with a 6.5mm, just loaded 'em for a buddy.